Shell shoveling

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Shell shoveling, in network security, is the act of redirecting the input and output of a shell to a service so that it can be remotely accessed, a remote shell. [1]

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In computing, the most basic method of interfacing with the operating system is the shell. On Microsoft Windows based systems, this is a program called cmd.exe or COMMAND.COM. On Unix or Unix-like systems, it may be any of a variety of programs such as bash, ksh, etc. This program accepts commands typed from a prompt and executes them, usually in real time, displaying the results to what is referred to as standard output , usually a monitor or screen.

In the shell shoveling process, one of these programs is set to run (perhaps silently or without notifying someone observing the computer) accepting input from a remote system and redirecting output to the same remote system; therefore the operator of the shoveled shell is able to operate the computer as if they were present at the console. [2]

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References

  1. McClure, Stuart; Scambray, Joel (2000-03-20). "'Inside-out' security pays attention to your revealing, vulnerable outbound traffic". Platforms & Infrastructure. InfoWorld . Vol. 22, no. 12. IDG. p. 49. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
  2. Tipton, Harold "Hal" F.; Krause, Micki (2007). Information Security Management Handbook (6 ed.). CRC Press. p. 2839. ISBN   978-1-4200-1358-0.

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